3 Cases of Black Racism: Black Citizens Continues to be Called Monkey
Note from BW of Brazil: So a few days ago, I caught wind of the latest racial controversy from the United States. As it turns out, Alex Housden, the morning anchor of a news program in Oklahoma City compared her co-host, Jason Hackett, a black man, to a gorilla live on television. Housden made the comment after a segment of the news program reporting on a gorilla at the Oklahoma City Zoo. As the segment ended, Housden is heard saying, “Kind of looks like you,” dspeaking to Hackett. Caught off guard, Hackett responded, “He kind of does, actually, yeah.”
After the comment provoked an outpouring of negative reactions, Housden made a tearful apology on air on the following day.
“I said something yesterday that was inconsiderate, it was inappropriate and I hurt people. And I want you to know, I understand how much I hurt you out there,” said Housden to her colleague. Hackett, of course, accepted the apology, but his reaction once again reminded me of how powerless black people are in Western nations.
After accepting the apology, Hackett continued:
“…We have to understand the stereotypes. We have to understand each other’s backgrounds. We have to find a way to replace those words with love and affirmation. As broadcasters, words are the tools of our trade. What we need to do is use those words not to hurt and not to divide, but to build a more perfect union.”
My point here is that, even after having been humiliated on TV, Hackett could not react in a more forceful as we all know, a black man working in media must know how to “behave” and just be thankful for the opportunity to be in a such a position in the first place. What else could Hackett do? There are no major black media outlets where he could earn an equal salary, and coming across as being too militant, Hackett could have easily have been dismissed, even being the victim in this scenario.
But what really irked me, besides his whole “can’t we all just get along” demeanor was his citing a desire to build what Barack Obama famously called, “a more perfect union”. A MORE perfect union? How can we build a MORE perfect union when we are still FAR from a perfect union? This incident once again shows that society can continously offend its black citizens and never really pay any real consequences.
The incident also proves that, even in the 21st century, people continue to dehumanize black people by comparing us to an animal. It happens in Brazil everyday. I don’t focus on this fact every day, but if I wanted to there would certainly be plenty of material. Such as when a journalist in the nation’s capital called singer Ludmilla a monkey on television. As proof of my point of black people having no power to provoke any real change, the journalist who was fired from one television network was hired by another about a month later.
In today’s story, I want to simply remind readers that the comparison between black people and monkies is alive and well in Brazil. Three cases, three incidents, the same insult. This in a Brazil that continues to deny its racist tendencies with withdpread dismissive phrases such as “we are all equal”. So, when was the last time a white Brazilian was called a monkey?
Three states, three different incidents: 3 Cases of Black Racism: Black Citizens Continues to be Called Monkey
With information via Notícia Preta and Correio 24 Horas
Company owner calls events promoter “whore” and “monkey”
Event promoter Danila Bernardo (31) accuses the owner of the agency that provides services racist. According to her, in an audio sent by Whatsapp, the man says that she is “whore” and “monkey” when referring to the young woman.
In an interview with Portal G1, Danila states that she was hired for a temporary job and, at the end of the contract, the promoter contacted the businessman requesting proof of payment. “He sent me a proof of payment and I asked about the others, because the payments would be made three times. He sent me a first audio telling me that he was at the bank, that he couldn’t send it at the moment, but that he would send it later. That’s when I received the second audio,” she says.
Audio sent in a transmit list by mistake
“That whore of that Mila… Not Mila, Danila. Go fuck yourself, understand? You can’t be a racist, but there’s a time you have to really call her monkey. The girl is annoying as hell. I have the most venom for this whore, this fucking monkey. Now she comes with this “You need to add it up to know how much you paid me.’ I said ‘hey darling, you take all the deposit slips I’ve made for you and add them up because I can’t do it now,’” says the audio.
In the recording, the man whose first name is Darlan, utters variousof profanities and racist terms to refer to the promotor. Still according to the promotor, the message was sent to her by mistake, but she managed to download the audio before it was deleted. “After I heard that I understood that he had sent it on a transmit list to the people who were hired for the event. He deleted it, but I could hear the audio. Soon after I went to a specialized police station and started the police report,” she said.
Veiled Racism
Working for nine years at events, Danila says she has always suffered veiled racism, but it was the first time it was in such an explicit comment. “At the time I was disgusted. I was so shocked and outraged that I didn’t believe what I heard. It’s very sad and very revolting and causes eternal trauma to the person receiving it. People say racism does not exist, they treat it as vitimismo (victim-playing), but it’s not,” she lamented.
Danila also stressed that she won’t let the situation go unpunished. “In addition to the audio being racist, it’s a sexist audio. He called me a whore. We go through this in the middle of events, but we go through it in malls, restaurants. It’s humiliating. I want to take this forward for all women, but especially for the black women who go through it all the time,” she said.
The case was registered as an injúria racial (racial injury/slur) on Tuesday, August 6 at the Police Station of Racial Crimes and Intolerance Offenses (Decradi), in downtown São Paulo. Until the conclusion of this matter, the businessman hadn’t commented on the case.
Inter goalkeeper is called ‘monkey’ in RS game
Carlos Miguel, goalie for the International futebol club, was insulted with racist slurs in the match against Novo Hamburgo on Sunday (25), for the FGF Cup, in Alvorada, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state. Match official, Marco Aurélio Nunes Magalhães, reported the episode in summary.
Check out the full report:
“At 30 minutes of the second half, Mr. Rodrigo Vargas, assistant referee number 2, told me that words of racist nature were uttered by EC Novo Hamburgo fans, who were to the right of the stands, directed at player number 1, Carlos Miguel dos Santos Pereira, goalkeeper of the SC Internacional team. the words identified were as follows: “Negro! Macaco (monkey)!” The Military Brigade was triggered by the referee team, however, it was not possible to identify those responsible for the racist demonstrations.” (3 Cases of Black Racism: Black Citizens Continues to be Called Monkey)
Through Twitter, International expressed itself:
“We repudiate any and all discriminatory acts. The People’s Club is with you, Carlos Miguel. Your walk is huge,” the club published.
Carlos Miguel also used the social network to comment on what happened:
“In today’s match against the Novo Hamburgo team, I suffered racist slurs throughout the match. This will not shake me up, as I am very proud of my color and my origins. No more room for racism in futebol! We move on,” posted the athlete.
Novo Hamburgo issued an official note on the case:
“Esporte Clube Novo Hamburgo, by means of an official note, comes to clarify the allegation of alleged discriminatory act related to racial prejudice against the athlete of Sport Club Internacional, by fans during the match held last Sunday morning ( 08/25/2019), at CT Morada dos Quero-Queros, in Alvorada/RS, valid for the 3rd round of the Seu Verardi Cup (FGF).<The Club became aware of the accusation through the press, as well as in a report of the Summary of the referee of the match, available today. Esporte Clube Novo Hamburgo rejects any and all acts of racial injury or racism, in all its forms of manifestation, motive.”
Court condemns university student that called colleague at Dois de Julho University a monkey
Woman was sentenced to 1 year and four months in prison and will have to pay a fine of BRL 2,000
The court condemned law student Vera Lúcia Santos Barbosa for calling her colleague a “monkey” at the Faculdade Dois de Julho (college) in the Garcia district of Salvador, Bahia. The victim of the assault, Jéssica Pimentel da Silva, 25, filed a complaint of racial injury in June 2016 and the sentence came out last week. The accused was sentenced to a fine of BRL 2,000 and imprisonment of one year and four months converted into community service.
At the time, Jéssica, discussed the incident on Facebook:
“I was in line of the financial sector, waiting for my turn to pay my tuition. There was only one cashier in operation [there were three windows]. Without explaining, much less a ‘good evening’, a woman goes to the side window, asks another college employee if she would come to open the other booth, and waited. The clerk, unaware that she had ‘jumped ahead’ in the line, answered her. I watched and said nothing. My turn came. The attendant called me and I asked, ‘Is there a preferential booth?’ He answered: ‘no Jessica, this is the only line’. That was enough for the woman next door to feel entitled to hit my arm and tell me: ‘Shut up! Do you know who you’re talking to?'” she reported.
From then on, according to Jessica, the woman began the aggressions. “She said, ‘You should keep quiet, you monkey. You should look in the mirror. Essa pele negra, esse cabelo (This black skin, this hair). It would be better if you stayed quiet'”, Jessica revealed of the other student’s words. (3 Cases of Black Racism: Black Citizens Continues to be Called Monkey)
By note, Faculty Dois de Julho said that “it is against any manifestation of prejudice against any person. Whether racial, religious, class or gender. ” It also said that the suspect of the aggressions was suspended for 10 days.
“I expected condemnation. It was a case that happened publicly, reflected a lot in the media. I had no doubt as to the condemnation. The trial was really quick,” said the victim. The aggression occurred when Jéssica waited in a line to pay her tuition. At the time, she made a report on social networks narrating what happened. “We cannot allow people with such conduct to go unpunished,” she wrote.
Jéssica was in a line when she was offended
Jéssica said the sentence could set a precedent for other similar cases. “I believe the issue of being upheld is a great victory. The decision must serve as a basis for other situations, because racism happens daily. There is still a little fear of people denouncing it. But I couldn’t remain silent. The verbal assault was by a law student, I was worried what kind of professional she would be and I reported her. The fine is too little for the crime she committed. She was sentenced to imprisonment for one year and four months, but it was converted to community service. We are waiting for what kind of service will be defined in hearing,” she said.
She commented on the fact that racism is still a latent issue in Salvador. “I find it absurd that this still exists here. You are in a place where, of every 10 people, nine are black. People who usually behave like this will measure the words before uttering any offense,” she said. (3 Cases of Black Racism: Black Citizens Continues to be Called Monkey)
Jéssica also informed that, during that time that the process was going on, the accused never sought her out. “It’s an elderly woman who was about to graduate – she graduated in 2018. We crossed each other, but I believe she was embarrassed, because, as they ask me, they asked her too. Even in the same environment, there was no approach, no apology,” she said.
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